Phi for All

Moderator NoteThis isn't the Astronomy forum. Whatever you did there, don't do it here. We discuss mainstream science in a civil tone. No more whiny threads, please. Make your arguments here in a rigorous, reasoned manner and you'll have no trouble.

Actom.growth has been banned as a duplicate account.

Like other sites, we're adapting to the sudden surge in AI generated content. We think it can be used as a LLM for those who can't always put their thoughts down as eloquently as they'd like. Many people, however, use it to draw conclusions, search for evidence, and site their sources, all of which we've proven the AI is incapable of doing honestly. Even this small interaction is much more valuable to me than anything you might do with AI. I have to admit that I'm heavily biased against AI in general. In the US, preemptive laws are in place that prohibit us from regulating AI companies. I've heard that AI in 2026 will use more water than all the bottled water companies in the US. And it just pisses me off in general since it's obvious the billionaire class hopes AI will eliminate the need to employ actual people. To me, AI is like a fascinating toy that kills people by making them useless.

I guess Xcel Energy didn't give NIST much notice about this Public Safety Power Shutoff either. I'm surprised they couldn't keep them powered. The power shutoff is supposed to prevent wildfires due to high winds/downed lines between the cities, but NIST is in Boulder proper.

I hated it when we lost our public utility, Public Service of Colorado, and sold to a private investor named Xcel Energy back in 2000. Rates went up immediately, service stayed the same for a while, so it just seemed like handing over more money just so a corporation could profit. After 25 years, it's now come out that they've been lax on maintaining their grid system. Four years ago, a major fire was caused by downed power lines and high winds, and Xcel got the crap sued out of them. The state demanded they come up with a solution, and the best they could do was to shut off consumer power whenever the winds get too high. They're calling it a Public Safety Power Shutoff. Yup. I was without power from 9:45am on Wednesday until 2:30pm Thursday, with only a one day notice. It's possible they may not be getting accurate weather info since the current administration isn't funding NOAA fully, but they also decided to do another PSPS Friday morning at 5:45am. This time, power will be off until Saturday at 6pm. I had to book hotel rooms for my family. Xcel isn't obligated to repay me for a freezer full of meat, because they argue it's covered by homeowner's insurance. My homeowner's insurance only covers accidental power outages, not planned ones. It's crystal clear to me Xcel wants to protect stockholders, not customers. Sorry, long rant, very frustrated, but I'm hearing other stories around the US about going back to municipal utilities. How is power handled where you live? US or outside the US, I'd like to know why something so important is owned by private investors.

Even on reality shows like Alone, the contestants enjoy challenging themselves and braving the wild by themselves for only so long. They all end up malnourished and craving human contact, and they start out with about 10 pieces of kit to help out. Humans were never made to be alone. The more people who live together, the more rules we need to survive, but one person alone will still have rules to follow. Even by myself, I'd impose them. Don't pee in the river, or at least upstream from where I camp. Don't make a bunch of noise so I don't scare game away. Never camp right next to the river in case of flooding. In fact, I'd argue that being alone actually means less freedom to do what you want. A person alone may be able to do many things they couldn't do with a bunch of people around, but they also CAN'T do many things they could do if there was a bunch of people around. Even simple things, like guarding your food from nighttime predators, become a nightmare without help from others.

Can you continue discussing this with AI by yourself? I'm more interested in what people who study science have to say about these things. We know the AI is more interested in pleasing you than it is using actual science. Even if it was short I wouldn't be interested. "Quite long" is probably a "framework" for obfuscation.

Imagine having your name in those files so much that an FBI team working for 11 months straight can't scrub your name out of it.

Moderator NoteThe AI makes things up to satisfy your requests, so we don't allow it to be used as a substitute for a good argument, Sam. That's the "tainted" part for us. Your idea, your beliefs, these need supportive evidence. Try another thread if you like, and perhaps show some science that supports your ideas. If you haven't used AI to build your foundation, and truly used it just as a language module, you should have this at your fingertips.

Moderator NoteDuplicate threads merged. Also, decide which of these accounts you want to keep. We don't allow sockpuppets.

It was definitely this part: You actually said this is what you meant, so I'm not sure why you don't recognize the words.

You earned that money somehow. You earned the compassion that led others to value you enough to give you food and shelter. I don't see how that could ever be considered weak. Perhaps you should learn gratitude rather than fleeing society. I'm sorry, but this seems like you want to throw away some of the most valuable human traits, like compassion, tool use, cooperation, and communication. Why on Earth do you think being solitary, with no claws or fangs, is the epitome of strength? Never, at any time, was this the hallmark of human behavior. We've NEVER been singular hunters. We lived and hunted in packs, we developed skills that took advantage of our strength in numbers. Again, I'm sorry, but it sounds like you don't much like people and want to live away from them. I'm sorry the people in your life are making you feel weak with their money and help.

I don't understand how you're weaker due to living in a society and following its rules. Isn't having money for essential needs better than having to hunt your meat, forage your grain, grind your flour, all while defending yourself alone from predation? Have you watched any of the survival shows? Then you're missing my whole point. Freedom is not the glorious state we're led to believe. The rules, good rules, can actually make us happier and more able to pursue happiness than any illusion of being free to do whatever comes into your head.

This is the false part. Trying to be free of human rules is ridiculous unless you want to live alone. It's the rules that make it possible for us to grow out of a naked, animalistic, solitary existence. The rules let us live together, work together, play together, with as little friction and as much freedom to pursue what makes you happy as possible, within those rules. And I would argue that the best kinds of freedom are the ones we can agree among ourselves are valuable. Until about 10 years ago, the vast majority of people accepted that vaccinating ourselves was a boon to all of us. Millions died of COVID unnecessarily because some questioned it. Even today, measles is on the rise because some people think the government is stepping on their freedom.

Would starting an LLC just for playing the lottery work?

Do I detect a bit of contempt for theory? Are you aware that, in science, theory is as strong as it gets? I agree that your concept is NOT a theory; it's not that well described or supported.

Moderator NoteI'm closing this since it's not Science News and you already have a thread on this in Speculations.

Your idea seems to revolve around the concept that the whole universe is conscious somehow. Can you focus on that and make a persuasive case?

Moderator NoteYou already have a thread on this: https://scienceforums.net/topic/136753-theory-of-everything/#comment-1297602

I moved this from Mathematics to Religion. I think it's criminal that the AI flatters the user with lies and inaccuracies. It reminds me of drug abuse, where the user seems to get a reward despite destroying their health. I'd be willing to bet using AI for questions like this is extremely addictive as well.

Oddly, the real power of religious teachings is their versatility, accumulated knowledge, and openness to interpretation, so insisting on a single meaning is inherently incorrect, the one thing you aren't supposed to do. I look at the Genesis story and I see that the Abrahamic god commits the first sin by lying to Adam about what will happen if he or Eve eat from the tree. The serpent tells them the truth, which they're so drawn to that they defy god and eat from the tree anyway. To me, it's supposed to be about rejecting authority if you want to set yourself above the rest of the animals. This god isn't infallible, omnipotent, or omniscient, it makes mistakes which we should recognize if we want to be considered higher beings. This is the god who would later flood the world, fill it with plagues, and kill its son so it didn't have to torture the rest of us eternally. Also oddly, I don't insist this is the only way to look at it. Huh.

Is this the purpose of this thread, to preach your polluted version of Christianity? I thought you were interested in science. This is just disgusting. Your hands wave too much when you're trying to use reason. Nobody here is interested in your preaching, only what you can support with actual evidence. Anybody can claim their interpretations on religion are the Truth.

From Evgen, who is only allowed 5 posts on their first day (I now realize): They should be able to respond themselves in about 3 hours.

Art doesn't create paintings or sculptures. Art provides a framework for creative endeavors, a methodology for mixing colors, using light and darkness, and how to choose media that best suit those endeavors. Artists and others use these tools to make what we call art. Similarly, science doesn't create computers, cell phones, or GPS. Science is the path, the way to organize a framework for technological or cosmological study and practice. I think it's important to distinguish between the discipline as a whole and the individual endeavors that use its methods to ensure success.

Moderator NoteThe following was mistakenly posted as a Reported Post by Evgen Ivashura: